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| High-Stakes
Testing Research Paper |
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Historically, stereotypes, gender roles, and social attitudes
played an extremely important role. In fact, their impact
on the life of society at large and each individual in particular
should be profoundly researched and tested since the steaks
are really high. It is not a secret that stereotypes, gender
roles and social attitudes to a significant extent define
the identity of the individual. This is particularly important
in the modern world when the human community tends to be globalized
under the impact of growing economic, political and cultural
integration. This is why it is necessary to clearly define
the impact of stereotypes and social attitudes on individual
and their perspectives in the context of globalization.
First of all, it is necessary to underline that stereotypes,
gender roles and social attitudes have constituted an essential
part of human society throughout its history and, as O.V.
Mitina and V.F. Petrenko underline , they produced an extremely
profound impact on an individual to the extent that they are
regulated on the deep mental level of societal consciousness,
and they in turn influence it. In such a way, stereotypes,
gender role and social attitudes associated with them are
produced by individuals and, at the same time, set certain
regulations on their consciousness as members of the community.
In such a situation it is possible to speak about mutual impact
of the individual and the society which eventually live in
accordance to the existing rules developed throughout the
historical development of the society and realized by each
individual in his/her lifetime. It is also worthy of mention,
that this historically formed mental level has many different
aspects – historical, social, economic, cultural, religious,
etc .
Obviously, stereotypes define human behavior and they basically
define the significant differences that exist between people.
For instance, it is not a secret that the gender roles are
defined under the impact of stereotypes, social models of
behavior, cultural norms, and other external factors. In this
respect, it is possible to refer to the research of Linda
L. Carli who analyzed the problem of gender roles and difference
between genders . She revealed the evidences of significant
differences between male and female which are the result of
the existing standards, norms, and stereotypes. For instance,
she argues that gender differences in influence depend on
a variety of factors such as gender of recipient of influence
attempts, proportion of males and females in the interaction,
communication styles used by influence agent, including competence,
dominance, warmth and communality and other factors. Eventually,
she concludes that the ability to influencing may be different
for male and female depending on the variety of factors.
In such a way, it is obvious that the behavior and even mentality
of male and female is formed by stereotypes, existing gender
roles and social attitudes associated with them. Naturally,
the formation of gender roles starts at the very early age,
to put it more precisely from the moment of the birth of a
child, social norms and stereotypes influence him/her and
it is practically impossible to avoid them. Moreover, the
impact of stereotypes is particularly strong in the childhood
and, to a significant extent, defines the future life and
behavior of individuals. Notably, Jan M. Ochman underlines
that since children continually gather and integrate information,
gender related and otherwise, the information they receive
is crucial to consider because the children’s resultant
perceptions about themselves and their abilities are critical
to their success in life . Consequently, the stereotypes,
norms and models of behavior children learn in their childhood
practically define their further adult life.
In this respect, it is noteworthy to refer to the research
of Helga Dittmar and Emma Halliwell who analyzed the impact
of the image of dolls, such as Barbie, on girls and found
out that the impact is very substantial and its effects may
be observed even in the adult life of females since dolls
like Barbie are cultural icons of female beauty which are
able to define the standards of female ideal girls strive
for even in the adulthood.
However, in the modern globalized world the standards and
stereotypes accepted in one culture can potentially spread
on others. For instance, returning to dolls, such as Barbie,
it should be said that they are spread worldwide. It is possible
to presume that, being standard, they may produce the same
effect on representatives of different culture. Nonetheless,
J. Paige MacDougal in the research dedicated to this problem,
arrives to a bit paradoxical conclusion that each culture
can perceive the dolls, as well as any other product of another
culture, in a different way. Notably, the researcher states
that when products are displaced from their culture of production,
they have the potential to take on the characteristics associated
with the new atmosphere in which they are situated through
processes of consumption . In such a way, seemingly standard
products, which are actually the products of a different culture,
tend to be adapted to the local conditions, norms and stereotypes.
Consequently, taking into account all above mentioned, it
is possible to conclude that there are certain stereotypes,
standards, gender roles and social attitudes associated with
them that shape individual’s identity and, to a significant
extent define his/her behavior since they exist on a historically
developed mental level of individual consciousness which create
social consciousness of the community. As a result, individuals
act in accordance with the existing social norms, standards
and stereotypes for they are an essential part of their own
identity shaped under the impact of the community where certain
set of rules and values is established. At the same time,
the products of one culture cannot be perceived in the same
way and be totally accepted by another. Practically it means
that there are different cultures having different stereotypes
and social norms and they tend to adapt the products of other
cultures to their own standards and perceive them in the unique
way typical for the particular community. This is why it is
possible to estimate that stereotypes and social norms are
of a paramount importance and, being unique for each community,
they are probably the highest stake for each individual since
they affect dramatically the individual’s identity.
Bibliography:
1. Carli, Linda L. “Gender and Social Influence.”
Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 57, No. 4, 2001, pp.725-741.
2. Mitina, O. V. and V. F. Petrenko. “A cross-cultural
study of stereotypes of female behavior.” Russian Social
Science Review. Armonk: Nov/Dec 2001.Vol.42, Iss. 6; pg. 60,
33 pgs.
3. MacDougall Paige, J. “Transnational commodities as
local cultural icons: Barbie dolls in Mexico.” Journal
of Popular Culture. Bowling Green: Nov 2003.Vol.37, Iss. 2;
pg. 257.
4. Ochman, Jan M. “The effects of nongender-role stereotyped,
same-sex role models in storybooks on the self-esteem of children
in grade three.” Sex Roles. New York: Dec 1996.Vol.35,
Iss. 11/12; pg. 711, 25.
5. Dittmar, Helga and Emma Halliwell. “Does Barbie Make
Girls Want to Be Thin? The Effect of Experimental Exposure
to Images of Dolls on the Body Image of 5- to 8-Year-Old Girls.”
Developmental Psychology, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 283–292. |
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